Forming device



July 5, 1949. 'L. A. BEAUCAHEMIN FORMING DEVICE Filed Nov l5 v 1946 2 Shets-Sheet 1 R 5, mm /H N w Z l .n M 2 5 P a L July 5, 1949. L. A. BEAUCHEMIN 2,475,539

FORMING DEVICE v Filed NOV. 15, 1.946 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE FORMING DEVICE Leo A. Beauchemin, Windsor, Ontario, Canada Application November 15, 1946, Serial No. 709,963

Claims. 1

This invention relates to forming devices and particularly to a device for forming any desired regular sided figure on a workpiece.

In the past, expensive machinery has been required to form a regular sided figure of different shapes on a workpiece. For example, to form a regular polygon shaped figure such as a tri angle, square or hexagon, on a cylindrical workpiece, special machines and index devices have been required and often these have proved inaccurate and cumbersome to use. The device of this invention eliminates these difficulties and provides a simple mechanism which may be attached to an ordinary lathe or like machine.

One object of this invention is to provide a device which will speedily and accurately machine any desired regular polygon shape on a workpiece.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the aforementioned type which is inexpensive to manufacture and compact in construction so that it may be attached to an ordinary lathe or like machine.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of the aforementioned character which may be quickly and simply adjusted to machine any of the different various regular polygon shapes on a workpiece.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed descripiton taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view illustrating the device of this invention mounted on a lathe;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the machining of a workpiece to produce one regular sided figure thereon, and

Fig. 6 is a schematic view, similar to that illustrated in Fig. 5, showing the forming of a different figure on a workpiece.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen that one particular use of the device of this invention is illustrated. A conventional lathe is provided having a head stock 1 and a tail stock 9 mounted on a base member II. Extending rearwardly from the head stock I is a drive shaft l3 which has a faceplate and a collet l5 thereon for receiving and holding a workpiece l1, illustrated in the drawings as a cylindrical bar. The device or attachment embodying this invention, indicated at l9, includes a generally circular shaped hollow housing 2| which has a back plate 23 secured thereto by bolts 25. The back plate 23 has a rearwardly extending tapered shank 21' thereon which is adapted to fit into a tapered recess (not shown) in the tail stock 9 and be rigidly secured therein by a conventional locking member 30. The upper end of the housing 2| is cutoff to provide a fiat upper surface 3| upon which a rectangularly shaped hollow cap 32 is positioned and secured by bolts 33.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, it will be seen that a front face plate 34 is secured to the front end of the housing 2| by bolts 35. Forwardly of the face plate 34, three radially spaced rollers 36 are provided for supporting and guiding the free end of the workpiece H. The rollers 36 are rotatably mounted on arms 3'! by pins 39, and the arms are secured to the face plate 34 by Allen screws 40 which pass through a slotted aperture 4| adjacent to the opposite end of each arm 31. Thearms 31 arespaced forwardly from the face plate 34 by annular collars 44 positioned therebetween and supported on the screws 40. By loosening the Allen screws 40, the rollers and arms can be adjusted to guide and support any size workpiece H.

A bevel type ring gear 53 is rotatably mounted in an annular channel 55 in the forward face of the housing 2| and cap 32 adjacent to the outer periphery of the front face 34. Bearings 56 are provided within the channel 55 for mounting and supporting the ring gear 53. To prevent any play of the ring gear within the channel 55, a plurality of washers 51 are provided which abut against the front surface of the inner pair of races of the bearings 56 when secured to the ring gear 53 by bolts 58. To drive and rotate the ring gear 53, the lathe face plate I5 is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed dogs 59 which extend therefrom in position to engage lugs 6| extending from the ring gear 53 and secured thereto by bolts 62. In this manner, a driving connection is maintained between the ring gear 53 and the lathe so that when the collet and'face plate l5 of the lathe is driven, the ring gear and workpiece I! held by the collet will be rotated at the same speed. It will be noted that thedogs 59 and lugs 6| are of such a length as to allow limited longitudinal movement therebetween, while maintaining the driving connection, for a reason that will be hereinafter brought 55 out, i

A bevel pinion gear 69 is secured to a vertical shaft II adjacent to the upper end thereof. The shaft II is rotatably supported at its lower end by a thrust bearing I3 which is secured in the lower end of the housing. The upper end of the shaft II is rotatably supported in a thrust bearing I4 secured in the cap 32. Immediately below the bearing I4, the cap 32 is recessed as at 16 to receive the pinion gear 69. fIfhe teeth of the bevel pinion gear69 mesh with those of thering gear 53, and the bevel gear is driven thereby when the ring is rotated by the lathe face .plate I5,

as pointed out above.

It will be noted, by referring to Figs. S and. 51, that the housing 2| is formed with a, generally aivertically elongatedl aperture 85 which receives.

a. forward projecting bossB'I of the carriage .plate 8L The carriage .II/is vertically slidable within thehqusing 2 I and toreduce the friction between the two the housing .2 Iiis provided ..with indented portions 89 on the inner.wallsthereof adjacent to the opening 15 so that only a-portion of the inner walls ofthe housingy2l. is in contact with the adjacent surfaces of th'ecarriage 11.

It will be. noted :thatthe pinion gear shaft 1| passes through arecess 9|..inthe. upper wall of the carriage, .as seen ihwFig. .2. The lower end oflthe pinion shaft .II. passesthrolug-h the lower wall of the carriage 'I'Land into thhousing-ZI and the bushings 13, as previously described. Surrounding the shaft and positioned between the" upper and lower .walls .of the carriage TI and .in a recess :18 therein; is aisleeve 93 which carries a .worml95 adjacent :to the upper end thereof anda wor'm.:-91;adjacent to the'lower: end thereof. Thrust washers 99 are positioned .between the walls of .the carriage-land the outer faces of theworms..95 and;9l to take up any play between the sleeve:;93 andthecarriage II. It likewise will be noted that the sleeve-r93 iskeyed to. the shaftll bya. key Illl, fitting in compl ementary keyways in the'shaftand sleeve. The key-: Iill. provides .adriving connectionbetween the shaftll and the sleeve. and worms. .When h rin seen. is driveniandrini rn riv the bevel pinion gear 69andthe shaft II, thesleeve 93 and its respectiVe. WQrmS;95 and ill-may be shifted axially while being rotated. at; the same speed as the. workpiece I1.

-A millin cutter I 03 is mounted forwardly of the front face platepflon the forward end of a shaft I which 1JQurnaledina'bushing I91 supported in the projecting boss 81 of-the carrias plat 8 T e forward end of t e sha I 525 is formed in the shape of asquarewhich is. adapted to be received in a square aperture in the milling cutter fln. The cutter. I03 his seured to th e i,thelshaftlfli'by, o .09. 5 eent n Fig.4, th -ap s te d of hesha W5 i i u na ed i a se o d hush ngl II which sse u d i ra ecess 11 1, e carr a plate 19in alignment with the bushing lll'I. -I n. thi s anne t e ha t 1.95.1 rotatab y su p r e etot end in h bu hinesrl l. crews 1 are thre debly re eived. in t e ear.-

riage and engage a notch in the outer wall .of

4 each bushing to secure them in position. Intermediate the ends of the shaft, between the bushings Ill and I01, a worm gear H5 is provided, the teeth of which mesh with the thread of the worm 95 mounted on the sleeve 93. It will be noted that the carriage TI is provided with a recess I I1 so that the worm gear H5 will be free to rotate within the carriage.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be seen that a cam element I- 2l.-is secured-to the rear end of a shaft I23 by a bolt I24 and that the shaft I23 is journaled in a pair of aligned bushings I25 which in turn are supported in a horizontal aperture 1 21; formed in the lower end of the carriage rectangularly shaped opening15 therein which 17 in which they are secured by setscrews I04. The lower rear end of the carriage plate I9 is cut backor notched to form a recess in between it and theback plate 23. The recess I28 is open at the lower end thereofand provides an area in which the cam I2l can rotate. The carriage plate I9. is -,recessed .atal29 between the ibus-hingsql25 to provide clearance for .-a,worm.gear I3I secured to the shaftal2-3zintermediateits ends. The teeth of the. scary I31 ,mesh withthe thread ,of the worms! mounted, onlthe flower ,end vofthe sleeve 93 for drivingly.connectingwthetcam element lzl to the sleeve 93. Themilling cutter I03-and the cam element. I 2I .will be driven atidentical need so that;;tl16y may cooperate itocformethe desired regular. polygon shape 0111 the workpiece, as, will be more fully hereinafter described.

A coil spring I35 is positioned ina recess I31 in the housinecap: 3.2, .with1the up erend ;.of. the spring I35 abuttingagainstthe upper wallof tb recess 3' and'the lower end abutting aga n the upper. surface o f;the,carr iage :-H so; as vto urge h car .downwarhlyatan times. This spring is relatively heavy and forces the milling cutter L93into engagement with theworkpieoe; II, with a sufficient pressure .toeproduce av cuttingoperation.

. A feeding -rnechanism, generally indicated at MI, is provided forfe eding .the milling cutter s. i t helw rkpiece I1 .1 f edin m hanism a illustra edsine iiei; 2,. xcorrmris a handl portion I.43. w;hich; journaledin a recess. M5 in h .1,hou i s cap 513 andtwhich .has a t e stern I41 extending downwardlytherefrom. The

the finished workpiece figurea d;tangentgtozthe Sides thereo c orra1reaso -swamnul J h re na te r ht-ou By actuating the handle; -.-.!:.43 -.o,fthefeedmeoh: anism II, the bar- I 5| -will be raised prlowered nt housin land-t epro ler l-fi non th end thereof will cause the carriage 'll in which the,

m element I-Z his mo n ed,- to move-upwardly idower rm to n; etheproperr ed forthe i l n eutte ewith; re peo. t theiwo kpieee esil us ra edin E andlemi is pro? vided. with an indexed.- scale ;l 44 .:So -,that;.the rate of fee ;morement eantbeiaceur t ly .calibrated anddeterminedtherefrom. Z-Ihe indexiscaleilikee eedenotes t he-operatonwhenthe desiredsize for the worlrpiece has been .reachedmdmakacere tain that flat sides have been cut on the workpiece. The sleeve 93 and its respective worms 95 and 91 will move up and down with the carriage along with the milling cutter, the cam element, and their respective worm gears, while being driven in synchronism.

The feeder mechanism I II controls the depth of cut as it permits the carriage and the milling cutter to be moved toward the workpiece I! by the action of the spring I35. The spring I35 is of sufficient strength to .hold the milling cutter N13 against the workpiece I! to cut in a satisfactory manner.

It should be understood that the workpiece I1 may be. fed axially toward the milling cutter I03 instead of having the milling cutter fed toward the workpiece, as previously described. This axial feeding is possible as the dogs 59 overlap the lugs 6| so as to permit substantial relative movement therebetween. Therefore, by axially moving the lathe face plate I5 toward and away from the housing 2| and still maintaining a driving relation therebetween, the portion of the workpiece I7 which is to be shaped, is fed toward the cutter when the cutter is set, in a position to take a final cut and is provided with side cutting edges on its teeth.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, any regular polygon shape may be formed on the workpiece I1, and while only a square and hexagon shape are shown, it is to be understood that any other regular shaped two or more sided figure can be machined. The milling cutter I03 is provided with the same number of teeth I65 as the number of sides that are to be formed on the workpiece ll. It likewise will be noted that the cutting edges of the teeth I65 are disposed substantially on radial lines, but provided with the usual tooth rake and relief necessary for proper cutting with a tool of this type. The cam element I2I is provided with the same number of plane flat surfaces as are to be formed on the workpiece, joined by arcuate portions described on the diameter of the cutter. The speed of rotation of the workpiece I1 and of the milling cutter I03 is the same but in opposite directions, and the radial line on the cutting edges of each tooth I65 will be maintained at all times perpendicular to the surface which is being cut thereby on the workpiece H to produce like cutting action and to prevent tearing and gouging of the metal. The diameter of the cam element I2I must be identical with the diameter of the outer periphery of the milling cutter teeth and the diameter of the roller IEI must be equal to the workpiece inscribed diameter, as previously described. Due to the identical size of the roller and inner tangential circle of the workpiece figure, the line of cut on the workpiece will be maintained parallel to the side of the cam in engagement with the roller and therefore will cause the cutter to shape the workpiece in the desired form.

If the roller I6I were of different diameter than the inscribed circle, the rocking of the cam surface to one or the other side of the vertical center line thereof would shift the carriage in a different manner and produce a convex or concave surface instead of a straight line on each side.

The machining of the desired form on the workpiece is accomplished when the lathe is operated to drive the ring gear 53. The respective worm gears on the milling cutter and the cam element are then driven, as previously described, and the roller IGI on the lower end of the feed mechanism bar I5I will cause the entire carriage TI to move upwardly and downwardly as it follows the contour of the cam element I2l. In addition, the roller is progressively lowered to advance the cutter into the workpiece when the tool is fed into the work. In this way, the milling cutter I03 is moved upwardly and downwardly to follow the pattern of the cam element I2I as it is fed into the workpiece or the workpiece is fed into the cutter. As the workpiece I1 is rotating at the same speed as the milling cutter and cam, and is held in a position by the roller guides 36, the milling cutter will form the desired shape on the workpiece.

As previously pointed out, the roller IBI' is the same size as the inner tangential circle of the workpiece figure and therefore it controls the final size of the, latter. If a larger or smaller size figure is to be formed on the workpiece, the roller size must be changed accordingly.

It is a simple matter to assemble this device or to change the milling cutter, cam element and roller IBI, to produce a different shaped figure and a figure of different diameter on the workpiece. The back plate 23'may be removed from the housing 2| and the cam element I2I removed by taking out the bolt I24 and a new cam element inserted in its place. The milling cutter I03 can be changed by merely removing the bolt I09 and the cutter and inserting a new cutter in its place. The roller IGI can be changed at the same time that the cam IZI is changed by removing the pin I62 and placing a different sized roller thereon.

It will thus be seen that this invention provides a simple and easy way to form any desired regular polygon shape on a workpiece. While the device has been shown in combination with a lathe, it will readily appear to one skilled in the art that this device may be attached to any type of suitable machine wherein a workpiece can be rotated in the device.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for forming a regular sided figure on a rotatable workpiece including a housing, rotatable gear means mounted in said housing, a shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, gear means fixedly connected adjacent one end of such shaft and meshing with said rotatable gear means for rotatably driving said shaft, a, carriage slidably mounted in said housin and freely receiving said shaft therethrough, a cutter and a cam rotatably mounted in said carriage, means mounted in said carriage slidably and drivingly connected to said shaft for rotatably driving said cam and cutter in timed relation to each other and to said workpiece, and means engaging said cam for shifting said carriage.

2. A device for forming a regular sided figure on a rotatable workpiece including a housing,

. rotatable gear means mounted in said housing, a

shaft rotatably supported in said housing, gear means fixedly connected adjacent one end of said shaft and meshing with said rotatable gear means for rotatably driving said shaft, a carriage slidably mounted in said housin and freely receiving said shaft therethrough, a cutter and a cam rotatably mounted in said carriage, means mounted in said carriage slidably and drivingly connected to said shaft for rotatably driving said cam and cutter in timed relation to each other and to said workpiece, resilient means urging said carriage relative to said workpiece, and a roller engaging said cam for shifting said carriage toward said resilient means, said roller being of 

